


a tango for two

by wingfields



Category: Star Trek: Alternate Original Series (Movies)
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-01-15
Updated: 2014-01-15
Packaged: 2018-01-08 21:31:04
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,109
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1137595
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/wingfields/pseuds/wingfields
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Being in a relationship with Jim Kirk was a monumental task. However, Leonard had never expected he would be airing his grievances with Spock of all people. And definitely not while dancing the tango. <br/>[Rent's Tango: Maureen with Spock as Mark Cohen, Leonard as Joanne Jefferson, and Jim as Maureen Johnson.]</p>
            </blockquote>





	a tango for two

Leonard McCoy wasn’t an insecure man. In fact, he was pretty damn confident in himself, and wasn’t prone to bouts of self-doubt concerning his lovers. He never worried unduly about his partners being unfaithful. In fact, he was pretty logical and not prone to emotional outbursts unless faced with infallible truths.

However, as always, everything was different when it concerned one James T. Kirk.

Leonard had fallen in love with Jim hard and fast. He knew he was in deep, and he also knew that he didn’t have a chance in hell with him. Jim Kirk was a genius, loved by all. Every captain wanted to recruit him for their ships, people went to Jim instead of the professors for help in their classes, and not a day went by when at least two people didn’t ask him out.

So Leonard busied himself in his work, and stayed content with being his best friend; an honour bestowed only to him out of Jim’s legions of devoted fans and followers. Despite sleeping with countless people, Jim never really fell in love, or did the whole dating thing. Leonard figured; it would take a person that was a challenge to Jim, a force that could reckon with his bright potential before Jim was ready to settle down in a monogamous relationship.

Of course, it came as no surprise to Leonard when Jim told him he was dating Commander Spock during their first year on the Enterprise. Spock was a Vulcan, brilliantly bright with a dry sense of humour, sexy and mysterious, and the only person who could balance out Jim’s reckless style of leadership with his cool, calm, level-headedness.

Leonard had never seen Jim so utterly smitten. He had fallen deep for the Vulcan, and though it pained Leonard, he was always the ever-supportive friend.

Still, knowing Jim, it didn’t come as a surprise to him when Jim and Spock broke up. Amicably of course, because no one could truly ever hate Jim Kirk.

However, he claims he almost passed out from shock when Jim kissed him, telling him the reason he had broken up with Spock was because he had realized Leonard had always been the one for him. He pouted his lips, eyes wide, and asked if Leonard could ever forgive him for being such a damn, blind fool.

Leonard just blinked and shoved him towards the bed, having more than four years of pent up sexual frustration to unleash upon Jim.

* * *

 

If Leonard thought he was in love with Jim before, he had no idea how much deeper he would fall actually, truly _being_ with Jim. He couldn’t say no to anything he said, and while he deluded himself thinking it was because Jim loved him and trusted him, at that very moment his faith was faltering.

The Enterprise had been sent to the Starfleet base on Delta Vega for routine maintenance, after complaints that the station was not receiving communication signals, nor was the internal communications interface working. A team of engineers and operations personnel had beamed down, along with Leonard McCoy, who had somehow been roped into it by Jim, the latter claiming that he needed someone he trusted down there to keep an eye on and supervise the young ensigns and lieutenants.

Oh, and did he mention that the heating in the facility was also conveniently offline?

As such, Leonard was fucking cold, helplessly watching a bunch of engineers that had no idea what they were doing, and doubting his relationship with Jim _intensely_. He couldn’t get it out of his mind that Jim had sent him down to this godforsaken ice cube to get rid of him, so he could do god knows what with Spock.

It was unfair to Jim, Leonard knows, but he still couldn’t help thinking it.

“Doctor. Jim asked me to beam down to assist in re-establishing the communication interface for this base, as it seems there is little to no headway being made here.” Spock’s calm voice jolted Leonard out of his thoughts.

“Huh? Oh. Right. Yeah, everything’s gone to shit here. The engineers haven’t got a fuckin’ clue, and I’m a fuckin’ doctor, not tech support, so I have no idea what to do,” Leonard said gruffly, not pleased to see Spock, and not pleased to hear that he was a disappointment to Jim. But hey, at least Jim and Spock weren’t doing the horizontal tango back aboard the Enterprise.

“It is fortunate I am here, then,” Spock said drily. “Would you mind summarizing the problem for me?”

“I can try,” Leonard said, scratching the back of his neck. “So, the samples won’t delay. And the cables, uh…” He gestured wildly to the mess of cables.

Spock nodded. “There is another way.” He began fiddling around with the controls. “Say something. Anything.”

“Uh, test, 1, 2, 3?” Leonard said awkwardly listening for any indication that the communication systems were back online.

Spock sighed, as if wondering how on earth he got trapped with a bunch of batty, predictable humans. “Anything but _that_.”

Leonard huffed. This was the first time he had been alone with Spock since he and Jim had called it quits. And it was just strange.

“This is weird,” Leonard commented, not really knowing what else to say.

“It is ‘weird’,” Spock replied, still fiddling with the inner machinery of one of the panels.

Leonard opened his mouth to say something, before closing it and replaying their conversation so far. Something clicked in his memory. An old Terran song that Leonard doubted Spock even knew about. But hey, he could try and play.

“Very weird,” Leonard agreed.

Spock froze for a moment before turning around to face Leonard. He raised an eyebrow. “Fuckin’ weird,” he said stoically.

Leonard’s mouth fell open, not only because Spock had used profanity and colloquial language all in one go, but he actually knew what Leonard was playing at.

“ _I’m so mad, that I don’t know what to do,”_ Leonard sang, knowing full well that he had a goddamn attractive singing voice. “ _Fighting with microphones, freezing down to my bones, and to top it all off, I’m with you!”_

Spock swiveled on his heel and marched straight towards Leonard until their noses were practically touching. _“Feel like going insane? Got a fire in your brain? And you’re thinking of drinking gasoline?”_ he sang back, voice deep and breathy. It took Leonard completely by surprise at just how _sexy_ Spock’s voice actually was.

Leonard gently pushed him away, uncomfortable with these turn of events. “ _As a matter of fact—“_

_“Honey, I know this act,”_ Spock interjected. “ _It’s called the Tango: Jim Kirk.”_

Leonard snorted at Spock substituting Jim’s name in the song; he had to give the Vulcan credit for his creativity at least.

Spock raised an eyebrow before he continued. “ _The Tango: Jim Kirk. It’s a dark, dizzy, merry-go-round. As he keeps you dangling…”_

“You’re wrong!” Leonard interjected, this part of the song hitting more closely to home than he had initially anticipated.

“ _Your heart he is mangling…”_ Spock sang softly, inching closer and closer to Leonard.

“It’s different with me!” Leonard retorted, getting nervous.

Spock shrugged. “ _And you toss, and you turn. ‘Cause his cold eyes can burn. Yet you yearn and you churn and rebound.”_ He looked pointedly at Leonard as if trying to convey his past experiences as Jim’s lover.

Leonard paled. “ _I think I know what you mean… The Tango: Jim Kirk.”_

“ _Has he ever pouted his lips, and called you pookie?”_ Spock asked, raising his eyebrow again.

“Never!” Leonard said, no conviction left behind the words.

“ _Have you ever doubted a kiss, or two?”_

_“This is…spooky_ ,” Leonard conceded, trying to ignore the smug look on Spock’s face. “ _Did you swoon when he walked through the door?”_

Spock bit back a sigh. “ _Every time. So be…cautious.”_

Leonard groaned. “ _Did he moon over other boys?”_

Spock rolled his eyes, the movement so quick Leonard was sure he had missed it. “ _More than moon.”_

Leonard buried his face in his hands. “ _I’m getting…nauseous.”_ He was caught by surprise when he felt Spock’s arms touch his waist. He looked up, alarmed.

“This is what happens next in this song, is it not?” he asked, beginning to lead Leonard in the steps of the tango.

“Uh, I guess, yeah?” Leonard stammered, blushing despite his best attentions. Spock was strong and graceful, and dancing with him was not something Leonard had ever anticipated would happen. And he certainly hadn’t anticipated enjoying it.

“Where did you learn to tango?” Spock asked, effortlessly going through the motions of the dance.

“With uh, my ex-wife Jocelyn. Our therapist recommended it as a form of couples counselling. Clearly it didn’t work. And you?” Leonard replied, flushing an even deeper shade of red. He cleared his throat and reversed their positions, so he was leading now.

“With T’Pau’s granddaughter, T’Pring. On Vulcan. We were betrothed,” he replied, turning a pale green.

Leonard just snickered, maneuvering them around the surprisingly empty facility. He wondered where all the ensigns had gone.

“I must admit, doing this backwards is difficult. I am accustomed to leading,” Spock admitted.

Leonard grinned, and leaned close to Spock’s face. “You should try it, in heels,” he whispered, breath ghosting over his sensitive ears.

Spock shuddered, and his facial expression changed to something bordering sympathy. If Vulcans could be sympathetic that is.

But that’s all Leonard needed. His face fell, as he realized what Spock had been trying to tell him all along. That his worst fears were actually reality. “ _He cheated_ ,” he whispered.

“ _He cheated,_ ” Spock agreed, holding Leonard tighter.

“ _Jimmy cheated,”_ he repeated, fists clenching against Spock.

“ _Fuckin’ cheated.”_ Spock’s hands left Leonard’s arms and cupped his face instead.

Leonard looked at him in surprise before a defeated look took over his face. _“I’m defeated, I should give up right now,”_ he sighed.

Spock shook his head adamantly, his hands still on Leonard’s cheeks. “ _Gotta look on the bright side, with all of your might—“_

_“I’d fall for him still, anyhow,”_ Leonard muttered. Spock could feel his self-loathing through their skin-to-skin contact.

When Leonard took another breath, determined to finish the song at this point, Spock joined him.

“ _When you’re dancing his dance, you don’t stand a chance, his grip of romance makes you fall…”_ they sang together, voices blending in perfect harmony.

“ _So you think might as well,”_ Spock continued.

“ _Dance a tango to hell,”_ Leonard finished.

“ _At least I’ll have tangoed at all…”_ The lyrics trailed off, neither of them wanting to continue. Spock looked at Leonard’s lips for a brief moment before leaning forward and lightly touching their lips together.

Leonard gasped softly, his lips parting. Spock took that as an invitation to deepen their kiss, pushing his tongue gently into Leonard’s mouth.

Leonard moaned softly, curling his arms around Spock’s waist as he kissed him. Spock’s hands found their way to Leonard’s hair, and his fingers tangled themselves in it.

“Wow, hey guys,” came Jim’s bitter voice from the other end of the room. “Glad to see I was invited to the party.

The two pulled apart and just looked at each other for a moment before simultaneously turning their kids towards Jim.

“ _Why do we love when he’s mean…”_ Spock sang, taking Leonard’s hand.

Leonard smirked slightly. _“And he can be so obscene…”_

“What the actual fuck guys?” Jim asked, crossing his arms and narrowing his eyes.

“I’m breakin’ up with ya, Jim. If that wasn’t obvious with me kissin’ Spock and all,” Leonard said, not letting his eyes betray the hurt he felt inside. Spock could kiss _that_ better later.

Jim spluttered, eyes going wide. “Wh-what! You can’t break up with me! What the hell, Bones?” His eyes darted from Leonard and Spock.

Spock just shrugged, and Leonard tightened his grip on Spock’s hand.

“I loved you Jim, you know that. And you know you fucked up,” Leonard said.

Jim opened his mouth to retort, but shut it wisely. “Whatever. Monogamy wasn’t for me anyways. I hope you know you two are still my best friends!” he said cheerfully, opening his communicator. “One to beam up!”

As Jim disappeared from where he was standing, Spock turned to Leonard and stroked his cheek.

“ _My Leonard…”_ he crooned softly, before taking Leonard’s lips again.

And Leonard decided that maybe Jim wasn’t the one for him. After all, how could someone who actually hadn’t ever seen _Rent_ be his destiny?

Although he hadn’t pined for years after Spock, this new development was definitely something he could get behind. And maybe coax Spock into singing for him again.


End file.
